BRYDIE: Ariana Grande’s Signature Pony Just Got a Major Upgrade—Here’s How to Get the Look
ICYMI, Ariana Grande broke the internet earlier today when she released the first photos from her recent wedding to Dalton Gomez.
The songstress and the real estate broker married earlier this month in an intimate ceremony at Grande’s Montecito home. And while the wedding photos gave us plenty to obsess over (that dress!), there was one element that truly stopped us in our tracks: the presence of Grande’s iconic pony.
The Look
Of course, we should’ve known that Ari’s signature beauty features would make the wedding look—we were also thrilled to see her in a bridal cat-eye—but Grande has kept us guessing over the past few months. Would she go retro with a 1960s style like in her “Positions” video, or bring out the natural curls she gave us a rare glimpse of during the beginning of quarantine?
But in the end, the singer stayed true to the pony look that’s become her trademark, with a bridal twist, of course. Grande wore her hair in a polished half-up, half-down style with soft curls cascading down the open back of her dress. The Audrey Hepburn-inspired look, created by hairstylist Josh Liu, was finished with a stunning shoulder-length bubble veil that featured a simple satin bow. It’s a hair moment that will undoubtedly inspire brides-to-be all over, which is why we obviously needed to get all of the details on how to recreate it. Ahead, we asked the experts to show us exactly how to get the look at home.
MEET THE EXPERT
Cory Aaron Scott is an A-list hairstylist with clients including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Senada K. Ceka is a luxury wedding and bridal hair stylist based in New York.
How to Recreate it
To recreate the polished sophistication of Grande’s look (not a flyaway in sight!), you’ll need to start with a smooth blow-dry, says celebrity hairstylist Cory Aaron Scott. Use a round brush and section your hair when blow-drying to get the smoothest finish possible.
After blow-drying, Scott recommends defining your part. Grande went with a Gen Z-approved straight part, but we think a vintage-inspired side part would look beautiful for a bridal look as well. Next, without disturbing the part, you just created, brush the top portion of your hair back (Scott suggests spraying your brush with a little hairspray first to keep things sleek) and then gather it into a tight pony. “Avoid placing it too high,” says Scott. “You want to leave enough room for the veil.”
Once the pony is in place, it’s time to add the soft curls that gave Grande’s wedding hair a glamorous, Old-Hollywood feel. Celebrity hair stylist Senada K. Ceka recommends using a curling iron to curl just the ends of your hair before placing them in rollers. “The heat is what is going to help form the soft curl,” she says. Place each curl around a roller and roll it up about an inch or so above your desired length.
In a behind-the-scenes photo from Vogue, we noticed that the singer’s curls were pinned up while she got her makeup done. Ceka says leaving the rollers in or pinning your hair up while you do your makeup will give the curls more time to form before you brush them out. “The softness of the curl is created once you let the pins loose, brush through the hair, and spray it,” she says.
Once the rollers or pins are removed, both Ceka and Scott recommend gently brushing through your hair to create a beautiful wave. Then, finish off with a flexible hold hair spray. If you’re adding a veil, place it in the crown area and then secure it with hairpins. To keep the veil from slipping throughout the day, Scott recommends this trick: spray the teeth of the veil with hair spray before putting it on to keep it locked in place.
And there you have it: A timeless, polished hairstyle that’s perfect for the alter and beyond, courtesy of Grande’s instantly iconic bridal look. After all, as she told us, "Thank u, next," she only plans on doing it once—might as well do it right.